Chung Ling Soo

Chung Ling Soo (1861-1918), born William Ellsworth Robinson, died on the stage of London’s Wood Green Empire when his bullet catch routine went wrong.

During his early career, William Ellsworth Robinson called himself “Robinson, the Man of Mystery”. To increase his allure with a touch of exoticism, he changed his name to Chung Ling Soo and took his show to Europe. He took the name as a variation of a real Chinese stage magician, Ching Ling Foo, and performed many of the tricks that Foo had made famous.

Chung Ling Soo maintained his role as a Chinese man scrupulously. He never spoke onstage and always used an interpreter when he spoke to journalists. Only his friends and other stage magicians knew the truth.

Sharing Wonder

Welcome to Magicana’s “Postcards of Magicians” Exhibition

Magicana is please to share this wonderful collection – originally collected by Msgr. Foy – of over 300 Postcards of Magicians.

For decades, Msgr Foy has carefully gathered and preserved postcards that feature magic, magicians or magical themes. We originally mounted this online exhibition in 2005 and have revised it so our visitors can search for certain magicians or ephemera; comment or share thoughts and stories about any particular card; and, hopefully, help us identify the few missing names of postcard subjects.

To make a comment, simply click on the postcard's title and leave a reply.

Take your time, sign the guest book, and please visit often. We hope you enjoy Postcards of Magicians.

Magicpedia

Magicana is delighted to partner with Magicpedia, the free encyclopedia dedicated to preserving the history and techniques of magic, to provide additional information about the subjects of the postcards.

Do you know about these magicians and entertainers? Then join the conversation and send in your thoughts and feedback to info@magicana.com.

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